1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of mops. More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of self-wringing mops for unwinding the tangled strands of a mop head.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Specifically, self-wringing mops are currently being used in general households and ordinary businesses or institutions. These self-wringing mops are mops wherein after the mop is used to clean a floor, it is dipped in the cleaning water or fluid and thereafter, twisted so that the mop strands can be wrung together and wring the water out of the strands. One problem is that the mop strands frequently become tangled together. When the mop strands become tangled, a user must use his or her hands to untangle the mop stands. The disadvantage with this is that its takes a long time to untangle the strands from each other and also the user must use his or her hands to untangle the soiled mop.
The following seven (7) prior art patents are found to be pertinent to the field of the present invention:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 1,218,618 issued to Bauer on Mar. 13, 1917 for "Combined Mop And Wringer" (hereafter the "Bauer Patent"); PA1 2. U.S. Pat. No. 1,710,190 issued to Regan on Apr. 23, 1929 for "Combined Mop Holder And Wringer" (hereafter the "Regan Patent"); PA1 3. U.S. Pat. No. 2,066,096 issued to Currie on Dec. 29, 1936 for "Floor Mop" (hereafter the "Currie Patent"); PA1 4. U.S. Pat. No. 2,230,101 issued to Bakemeier on Jan. 28, 1941 for "Mop Holder And Wringer" (hereafter the "Bakemeier Patent"); PA1 5. U.S. Pat. No. 2,365,437 issued to Schaefer on Dec. 19, 1944 for "Mop" (hereafter the "Schaefer Patent"); PA1 6. U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,807 issued to Weiss on Aug. 14, 1984 for "Floor Mop" (hereafter the "Weiss Patent"); and PA1 7. U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,163 issued to Morad on Apr. 23, 1996 for "Quick Squeezing Wringable Mop" (hereafter "the Morad Patent").
The Bauer Patent discloses a combined mop and wringer. It comprises an operating mechanism for imparting a rotary movement to one of the mop holding members whereby the initial twisting of the mop is effected at a comparatively rapid rate and the final twisting is accomplished by a slower and more powerful twisting movement.
The Regan Patent discloses a combined mop holder and wringer. It comprises a handle with a mop clamp at a lower end of the handle. Slidably mounted on the handle is a tubular sleeve, on the lower end of which is secured a loop mop holder. A reduced portion is located between the mop clamp and the loop mop holder, where a mop is wrapped around the reduced portion and held there by the mop clamp and the loop mop holder. A helical-shaped groove is formed in the surface of the handle and extends substantially from the upper end to the tubular sleeve. This helical-shaped groove, together with a sleeve nut serves the function of imparting a rotary movement to the handle when the mop is to be wrung, this being accomplished by sliding the sleeve nut along the handle from the upper end of the handle to the lower end of the handle. The sleeve nut held by one hand and pulled downwardly on the handle while the tubular sleeve is grasped by the other hand. The sleeve nut is tightly gripped when it is pulled downwardly over the handle and a rotary movement is thus transmitted to the handle, and as the mop clamp is secured to the lower end of the handle, it will rotate with the handle while the loop which is secured to the tubular sleeve is held stationary with the other hand.
The Currie Patent discloses a floor mop. It comprises a handle with an open ended tube which serves as a cylinder to accommodate a reciprocatory plunger. The plunger has a head which is slidably fitted within the cylinder. The head of the plunger is a bearing to accommodate a rotary jointing knob on the inner end of a mop turning screw. Attached to the bottom of the handle is a stationary plate with a guide slot through which the mop turning screw works back and forth. This forms the means for converting the reciprocatory motion of the plunger into the rotary motion for an adapter fixture attached to the lower end of the mop turning screw.
The Bakemeier Patent discloses a mop holder and wringer. It comprises a handle which is formed with a longitudinal channel extending from the lower end to a major portion of the handle and communicates with a spiral extension. Mounted on the handle is a metal sleeve which serves as a hand hold. The sleeve has an inner bearing ball which enters the channel, causing the handle and the sleeve to rotate together, but when the sleeve is raised, this causes the ball to enter the spiral groove. The handle rotates when the sleeve is held to keep the sleeve from turning.
The Schaefer Patent discloses a mop. It comprises a handle with a mop secured at its lower end and a fabric stretching and wringing mechanism. The mechanism has a body portion in the form of a sleeve with an external spiral slot. Secured in a predetermined position on the mop handle is a pin or screw on which a roller head is rotatably mounted. The roller head sits on the handle and projects into the spiral groove of the sleeve so that when the sleeve is slidably moved on the mop handle, the sleeve is caused to rotate due to the coaction of the roller head working in the spiral groove of the sleeve.
The Weiss Patent discloses a floor mop which comprises a handle and a helicoidal screw-threaded groove.
The Morad Patent discloses a quick squeezing wringable mop which utilizes a spring-and-ratchet mechanism and longitudinal ribs on the handle.
It is desirable to have a very efficient and also very effective design and construction of a mop apparatus for unwinding a tangled mop head. It is also desirable to provide a mop apparatus for unwinding a tangled mop head with the capability of rapidly untangling mop strands without getting the user's hands soiled and not to spend enormous amount of time to untangle the strands from each other.